Lee Statement on November Jobs Report
For Immediate Release
Contact
Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-1882
Washington, D.C.– Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued the following response to the figures released by the Department of Labor showing a slight decline in unemployment rates:
“The U.S. gained 120,000 new jobs in November and the national unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9.0 percent. While I am pleased that jobs are slowly returning, immediate action must be taken to create the millions of new jobs that are so desperately needed to boost demand in the economy and to keep Americans from falling into poverty.
“There is plenty of discouraging news hidden in the November unemployment figures. The long term unemployment picture is not improving, with the average length of unemployment rising from 39.4 weeks to 40.9 weeks. We must immediately extend the expiring emergency unemployment benefits and we must pass H.R. 589 which would immediately add 14 weeks of unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have completely exhausted their benefits while struggling to find work.
“In addition, there was a startling rise of unemployment among African Americans, from 15.1 percent to 15.5 percent in the same time period. There can be no clearer reminder of the ongoing racial and ethnic disparities that continue to plague our nation and keep minority communities suffering disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and tragic health disparities like unconscionably higher rates of HIV infection.
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics categorized the 0.4 percent reduction in unemployment as a ‘notable decline,’ yet the same 0.4 percent increase in African American unemployment is categorized as ‘little or no change.’ African Americans faced a marked increase in their unemployment and it should not be downplayed or ignored. We should be taking strong action to implement targeted programs and policies that ensure that we are a nation that truly does provide equal opportunity and equal access to the American Dream.
“100 million people – 1 in 3 Americans – live in poverty or the zone just above poverty. We must do more to immediately create millions of new jobs, not just the few thousand that are being slowly generated by the private sector alone. This is nothing short of a national emergency.”
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